Learning from its 60-hour gunbattle during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,the National Security Guard (NSG) is all set to upgrade its equipment and weapon profile.

Having already moved on procuring body-worn video and audio bugs,mini-remotely operated vehicles and real time x-ray viewing system almost immediately after the Mumbai attacks,this elite commando force is now in the process of procuring night-sight equipment for its SIG (SWAT) assault rifles,laser listening devices and light support weapons.

Sources said procurement of these equipments was at the top of the force’s agenda following an in-depth analysis of the force’s strengths and weaknesses during the “debriefing” following the Mumbai operations. While NSG officials maintained that some of these equipments were already available with the force,they admitted that there was fresh impetus to plans to procure the best available,and in sufficient numbers.

So,now the force is looking to procure as many as 128 night-sight devices for its SIG (SWAT) assault rifles,146 units of light support weapons and eight laser listening devices.

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The night-sight devices NSG is looking for are essentially the ones that can be mounted on a rifle,not heavier that two kg,have a non-reflective surface,have shock-proof optics to sustain prolonged recoil,are water resistant,have a zoom facility and can detect a man standing at 300 metres on starlit night without moon. “We also want these devices to have an image intensifier technology,” an official said. Sources said the need for this device was felt greatly during the Mumbai operations and this point figured prominently in the debriefing.

The laser listening device which the Black Cats now want is a laser-based audio monitoring system that can allow surveillance operation from a stand off distance of at least 400 metres. “The device should be able to pick up sounds from a minimum of 400 metres,” the official added.

As for the light support weapons,the NSG is scouting for 5.56mm x 45mm and 7.62mm x 51mm weapons having a minimum effective range of 1,000 metres and minimum recoil. “Simply put,we want light guns that can incapacitate a person at a distance of 1,000 metres,” the official added.